PM, Modi meets Murdochs and Star India honchos in the US today

The CEOs of media and entertainment sector of the US appreciated the Prime Minister, Sh Narendra Modi for energetic and dynamic leadership, and expressed optimism about the future of India. Specifically, the CEOs were enthusiastic about the digital transformation that is taking place in India through the ‘Digital India’ initiative. The CEOs called for speeding up of television digitization, and strengthening of the cellular (mobile) infrastructure.

Doordarshan Freedish auctions 8 more slots in 22nd e-auction

Doordarshan Freedish has allotted 8 slots to different TV channels in 22nd e-auction held on 22 September, 2015 now. The e-auction was conducted by Noida-based C1 India on behalf of Prasar Bharati.

PV Chandran of Grihalakshmi elected President of INS

Mr. P V Chandran of Grihalakshmi (Mathrubhumi Group) has been elected President of The Indian Newspaper Society (INS) for the year 2015-16 at its 76th Annual General Meeting.  He succeeds Mr. Kiran B Vadodaria of Sambhaav Metro.

MSM, Hathway settle dispute

MSM Media Distribution and Hathway Cable and Datacom have ended their dispute over payments. The companies have settled for a fixed-fee deal for digital addressable system (DAS) and analogue areas.

TVS Cable Provides Seamless Program Guide Experience During Digital Transition With Triveni Digital

Triveni Digital announced that TVS Cable, serving seven counties in Eastern Kentucky, is currently migrating to an all-digital infrastructure with Triveni Digital's industry-leading GuideBuilder® 5 metadata generation platform. GuideBuilder 5 enables TVS Cable to deliver simple and easy-to-understand virtual channel information to clear-QAM tuners as well as non-decrypting and SCTE-65-compatible set-top boxes (STBs). The unified metadata management platform supports PSIP and SCTE-65, dramatically speeding up CATV workflows while enabling the operator to realize new revenue opportunities, reduce costs, and provide viewers with a smooth transition from analog to digital.

ON Semiconductor Demonstrates New Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 Compliant Charger

ON Semiconductor driving energy efficiency innovations, has introduced a reference design implementing the new Qualcomm® Quick Charge™ 3.0 protocol.  The new protocol provides significant efficiency improvements over the existing Quick Charge 2.0 solution. The high efficiency, small form factor reference design supports the Quick Charge 3.0 High Voltage Dedicated Charging Port (HVDCP) Class A and Class B specifications, Qualcomm’s next generation of fast charging technology for smartphones and tablets, as well as offering backward compatibility to the older Quick Charge 2.0 protocol. Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 technology is a product of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated. The availability of a complete reference design from ON Semiconductor as well as certified conformance from UL aids the rapid development of small form factor chargers for portable applications with industry leading efficiency.

Echostar and Nagra redefine pay-tv content security with Nagra anycast command for 4k ultra HD set-top boxes

NAGRA, a digital TV division of the Kudelski Group and the world's leading independent provider of content protection and multiscreen television solutions, today announced that they have shipped NAGRA anyCAST COMMAND to EchoStar Technologies L.L.C. for production of 4K-capable set-top boxes for the companies’ joint clients. The revolutionary new COMMAND technology defeats popular forms of piracy like control word sharing and paves the way for premium 4K services. The new technology is being developed in close cooperation between NAGRA and EchoStar, a wholly-owned subsidiary of EchoStar Corporation.

China's Lead Eastern Investment buys 10% in Reliance Games' Zapak

In a strategic partnership, China's Lead Eastern Investment Group on 22 September announced the acquisition of 10 per cent stake in Reliance Games' Zapak Mobile Games for USD 15 million.

MIB Receives Rs 263.97 Crore as Bid Deposit from FM radio Phase III channels

Ministry of Information and Broadcasting received total Rs 263.97 Crore as Bid Deposits from successful bidders of e-auction of first batch of private FM radio Phase III channels.

News Broadcasters Association announces Office Bearers for 2015-16

On 23 September, The News Broadcasters Association (NBA) has announced the list of Office Bearers for the year 2015-16.

Ad cap case further adjourned to 27 November

The Delhi High Court has once again adjourned the ad cap case to 27 November.

TDSAT asks Bangalore MSO not to disconnect signals of association

Telecom Disputes Settlement and Arbitration Tribunal (TDSAT) directed All Digital Network Ltd of Gandhi Nagar in Bangalore to main status quo and not to disconnect the signals to any member of the All Digital Cable TV Operations Welfare Association of Bangalore.

BCCI President Jagmohan Dalmiya passes away

Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President Jagmohan Dalmiya passed away in city's B M Birla Hospital, Kolkata following a heart attack on 20 September 2015. He was 75. Dalmiya is survived by a daughter and a son.

TDSAT directs Siti Cable not to disconnect LCOs in Jabalpur

Giving relief to 90 LCOs who are members of Jabalpur Cable Operator Welfare Association, Madhya Pradesh, the Telecom Disputes Settlement & Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) has directed the multi-system operator (MSO) Siti Cable Network to maintain status quo until final orders. 

Bharti Airtel announces launch of 4G services in Arunachal Pradesh

Bharti Airtel Limited, the third largest mobile services provider globally with operations in 20 countries across Asia and Africa, announced the commercial launch of its high speed 4G services.

NGC Network India receives nine uplinking licences

NGC Network India has received nine uplinking licences from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. NGC is a subsidiary of Fox International Channels (FIC) Asia.

Government considers FDI hike to 100% in DTH, cable TV

Government is considering a proposal to raise FDI limits to 100 per cent in broadcasting carriage and content services, including DTH and cable networks, aimed at attracting overseas investment and improve infrastructure.

Broadband fibre laid in 68,000 village panchayats: Ravi Shankar Prasad

The government has laid down 90,000 kms of optical fibre network for high speed broadband connection, covering about 68,000 village panchayats till date, Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has said.

MIB lists out payment methodology for FM Phase III auction winners

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has set out very strict the terms of payment for the successful bidders of the first batch e-auction for FM Phase III.

Hathway and GTPL to jointly negotiate contracts nationally with broadcasters

Hathway and GTPL have entered into a mutual alliance to jointly negotiate all contracts related to content and carriage with all broadcasters going forward.

GreenPeak launches its first Smart City application for assisted car parking in China

GreenPeak Technologies, the leading low power RF semiconductor company, and Dusun Electron Ltd, a rapidly growing electronic company focusing on development of wireless internet technology and pioneering the Internet of Things (IoT) industry in China, announced their partnership with the launch of their first Smart City assisted parking application that addresses the growing parking problems in China’s larger cities.

Nagra protects 4k Ultra HD service for KT Skylife in Korea

NAGRA, a digital TV division of the Kudelski Group and the world's leading independent provider of content protection and multiscreen television solutions, announced today that it is providing 4K Ultra HD content protection to Korean satellite broadcaster KT Skylife. The NAGRA anyCAST Security Services Platform combined with NAGRA’s hardware security certification process, secures the operator’s first 4K Ultra HD satellite offer through the 4K-ready and studio-endorsed anyCAST GUARD security client. KT Skylife’s 4K Ultra HD service is the first in the world to provide 24/7 satellite broadcast of three or more 4K Ultra HD channels to consumers.

Nagra end-to-end solutions selected by VTVCAB in Vietnam to enable Next Generation TV experience

NAGRA, a digital TV division of the Kudelski Group and the world's leading independent provider of content protection and multiscreen television solutions, announced it was selected by Vietnam largest cable operator, VTVcab, to support the service provider’s new digital TV platform and ongoing digitization efforts. NAGRA will provide VTVcab with its anyCAST content protection, OpenTV 5 HTML5 connectware, Gravity user interface and MediaLive multiscreen solutions to secure and enable a range of basic cable services and advanced features, including video-on-demand, personal video recording, over-the-top, time-shifting capabilities and applications. This latest win comes on the heels of major deployments for NAGRA in the Asia-Pacific market and marks the company’s expanding presence in the region.

Discovery Channel commemorates 50th anniversary of India - Pakistan 1965 war programme

Marking the 50th anniversary of 1965 India-Pakistan war, Discovery Channel will present 1965: INDIA’S BATTLES AND HEROES, a special programme that will recount the valour and sacrifice of the Indian soldiers who put their lives on the line in defence of the country.

E-Auction of First Batch of Private FM Radio Phase III Channels Completed

E-Auction of the first batch of private FM radio phase III channels comprising 135 channels in 69 existing cities of Phase II, which had commenced on 27th July 2015, got over on 9th September 2015 with the completion of Frequency Allocation Stage.

President presents Gandhi Peace Prize 2014 to ISRO

The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee presented the Gandhi Peace Prize for the year 2014 to Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) at a function organized at Rashtrapati Bhavan on 9 September. In the presence of Vice-President of India, Shri M. Hamid Ansari, the Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi and other eminent dignitaries, the award was received by Shri A. S. Kiran Kumar, Chairman, ISRO on behalf of the organization.

Benoy Roychowdhury elected as the new chairman of ASCI

Benoy Roychowdhury, executive director at HT Media and whole time director of Hindustan Media Ventures, has been unanimously elected as chairman of the Board of ASCI in a board meeting. As a member of the Board of Governors for four years, he has represented print media and provided active support to self regulation.

Videocon d2h appointed Himanshu Dhoreliya as Content Head

Videocon d2h Limited India’s fastest growing DTH service and most valued Indian company on NASDAQ by equity market capitalization has announced on 9th Sept 2015, the appointment of Himanshu Dhoreliya as Content Head. Reporting to CEO Anil Khera, he will be based in Videocon d2h’s Mumbai headquarters. 

200 TV channel licences pending with MIB, says joint secy R Jaya

Speaking to the nodal officers and MSOs in Hyderabad, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (MIB) joint secretary R Jaya has told that as many as 200 TV channel licence applications are pending before the ministry. The government has so far permitted 830 satellite TV channels. 

News Broadcasters discuss their concerns with the new I&B Secretary Sunil Arora

A delegation of News Broadcasters led by Rajat Sharma, President News Broadcasters Association (NBA) and comprising of Narayan Rao of NDTV, Ashok Venkatramani of ABP News, Anurradha Prasad of News 24, Ashish Bagga of India Today, A.P. Parigi of Network 18 and Annie Joseph Secretary General, NBA had an interactive session with Sunil Arora, Secretary (I&B) on 10th Sept. 2015. Special Secretary, J.S. Mathur was also present in the meeting. 

FM Phase III auction Day 31: Rs 1156.9 crore bid for 97 channels

E-Auction of the first batch of private FM radio Phase III channels re-commenced today on 7th September 2015 at 09.30 AM and during the day, four rounds of bidding took place. Till now, 124 rounds of bidding are over.

HC directive to Arasu Cable TV

The Madras High Court Bench here on 1 September directed the Tamil Nadu Arasu Cable Television Corporation (TACTC) to consider a representation made by a social activist here to give equal importance to all Tamil news television channels without discrimination.

TDSAT asks Siticable not to disconnect signals of 119 Bhopal LCOs

The Telecom Disputes Settlement and Arbitration Tribunal (TDSAT) has directed Siticable Network to not disconnect the supply of signals to 119 cable operators represented by the Bhopal Cable Operator Association.

FM Phase III auction Day 28: Rs 1156.2 crore bid for 96 channels

E-Auction of the first batch of private FM radio Phase III channels re-commenced today on 2nd September 2015 at 09.30 AM and during the day, four rounds of bidding took place. Till now, 112 rounds of bidding are over.

IBC 2015: ABOX42 announces new Broadcom based UHD/4K HEVC SmartSTBs for OTT/IPTV and Hybrid-DVB

ABOX42 GmbH a leading supplier of OTT, IPTV and Hybrid-DVB Set-Top-Box platforms, unveiled at IBC 2015 in Amsterdam its new Smart STB platform M40, developed for advanced operator projects worldwide. The M40-Series SmartSTB is based on Broadcom’s latest Ultra High Definition high performance 10,000 DMIPS system-on-a-chip BCM7251S. The M40 platform combines unprecedented processing power and speed for decoding of HEVC up to 4K video with up to 60 frames per second and for unbeatable UI performance.

GreenPeak celebrates over 100 Million ZigBee chips delivered to the Smart Home market

GreenPeak Technologies, the leading low power RF semiconductor company, announced that it has shipped well over 100 million IEEE 802.15.4/ZigBee chips into the Smart Home market. GreenPeak RF chips are used in a wide range of consumer products including set-top boxes and gateways, remote controls, home monitoring devices for security, energy efficiency and lifestyle applications. Many of the new set-top boxes and internet gateways already have ZigBee inside, providing great opportunities for device and application developers to introduce Smart Home solutions that can connect to this available home sensor network, as well as for operators to offer additional services.

ALi Adds HEVC to Set-top Box Chipset Lineup for Optimized HD Content Delivery

ALi Corporation, a leading Set-Top Box (STB) chipset solution provider, unveiled a family of SoC solutions that integrate High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) for hybrid cable, satellite, terrestrial and IP set-top boxes. ALi’s system-on-chip chipsets provide operators a high-quality and cost-effective solution for migration to HEVC, a cutting-edge, high-efficiency video compression standard for improved delivery of high definition content over existing networks.

Setting the issue of Interconnect Agreements between MSOs and LMOs

Bombay High Court issued directions to TRAI resolve the matter within two weeks. The direction was given in the case of, Maharashtra Cable Operators Foundation Vs

The States of Maharashtra & Others vide Writ Petition no. 1122 of 2014.

FM Phase III auction Day 27: Rs 1155 crore bid for 96 channels

E-Auction of the first batch of private FM radio Phase III channels re-commenced today on 1st September 2015 at 09.30 AM and during the day, four rounds of bidding took place. Till now, 108 rounds of bidding are over.

MEASAT and Fashion One Launch World’s first English UHD Fashion Channel

MEASAT Satellite Systems and New York-based Fashion One Television LLC., the leading fashion, entertainment and lifestyle television network, have taken the next big step in broadcasting with the launch of the first English language Ultra HD channel in the world, Fashion One 4K, on the MEASAT-3a satellite.

New server set-top box allows watching TV simultaneously on two screens

In August 2015, the GS Group holding company released a new twin-tuner server set-top box under the General Satellite brand, designed for the Russian market – GS E502. The latest-generation digital set-top box allows watching satellite TV simultaneously on two screens: TV and tablet or smartphone. Tricolor TV, the leading Russian digital TV operator, has already confirmed its interest in this equipment.